The Legend Files
by Ninmai700
Summary: This is meant to give more insight into the lives of each Pokémon protagonist (and Blue) and what they did during their original adventures. This also shows their original Pokémon teams, their new Pokémon teams and how they have changed over the years. Plus, this story contains Red's comments on others.
1. Chapter 1: FireRed

Welcome to HOPL Tidbits! Here you'll find such content as:

 **Red's Notes** : Red's comments and remarks on other Legends and their teams. Here you'll find Red's sincere opinions and reasonings onhow he acts around everyone. I gave a small example of this during HOPL chapter 29.

 **Legendary Teams** : My explanation for each Legend's team in HOPL. Each Legend has a different team during the tournaments in HOPL. These teams change, however. Here I'll show the team each Legend had before joining the House and explain how it evolved into the one seen in HOPL. It's really cool to see their original Pokémon in all their sprite glory and how they adapted to better reflect modern battling, like changing some Pokémon for others that can Mega-evolve, changing some moves so that they have Fairy-type coverage, etc.

 **Writing Tidbits** : As a way to add more content, I'll write here some footnote-like info on my writing process on different chapters. This includes how I wrote some character's personality or changed the game lore to make all the Legends different in their own way and have both the male and female protagonists have the same adventure without changing the original game too much. For example, Leaf is an orphan of the Great Pokémon War and was adopted by Red and his mom. Red and Leaf lived their childhood together with Blue in Pallet Town. Gold and Nate are both rash and high-spirited, but Gold is a lot cooler from his experience. Before HOPL (Before meeting Red), he was just as he is now, only more smug and confident. This changed to a cooler attitude once he was faced with the idea that he _wasn't_ the best Pokémon trainer on earth. He's just as competitive as Red, but not as good. He's ranked #2 in the world, above Blue and Leaf, but the fact that Red is better makes him less full of himself. Nate, in comparison, isn't competitive at all. He just wants to have fun, so if he loses, he shrugs it off with a smile and asks to play again.

Without further ado, here's The Legend Files!

P.S: (I just realized) Due to Fanfiction's formatting system, the at sign before the item disappears, so if you're going to use it for Pokémon Showdown, remember to include it before every item.

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Chapter 1: Pilot/FireRed

 **Red's Notes:** Me. Might as well start there. It's a well known fact that I'm the best Pokémon trainer in the world. Why's that? Simple. I'm just faster. One of the differences between regular trainers and Legends is that we possess the ability to calculate certain battle parameters like speed, attack, defense, hp, type advantages, abilities and move mechanics like Quick Attack and Knock Off. We can all identify what to do at what times, we just have different ways of getting there. Legends like Ruby and Diamond like to attack straight away with a strong move, but others like Gold and me might want to set up for something stronger later on. Their tactic removes the chances of getting defeated before the buffing pays off, but our tactic can end entire teams with a single Pokémon and enough boosters. Sometimes it's better to attack and others it's better to boost. What defines a victory is figuring out when the right time is for what move. I just do that faster. Anyone can figure it out eventually, but I'm just faster. The other reason I'm the best is I have a team that is balanced, ready for anything and strong. With the HOPL rules I'm limited to my Kanto Pokémon, but even then I've got the best possible team that reflects my interests. My team has an answer for everything and every Pokémon in it has the stats to do its job correctly. This is the evident fall of Calem, who tried dividing his stats so that they're balanced instead of strong in a specific stat. You can't win with a team of Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Each one of my Pokémon is a master of its own expertise, but can't do anything else. This is what having six Pokémon is for. I swear the creators of competitive battling thought of everything. This is essentially what makes victory: A team with the right tools and a trainer with the knowledge of which tool to use at what moment that does it quicker than the opponent. I made my team as strong as possible and I can identify the right move at the right time faster than the opponent can. Apart from that, it's just years of experience.

 **Legendary Teams:** Red's Team!

Red's Modern Team:

(anythinggoes)

Blasty (Blastoise) (M) Leftovers  
Ability: Torrent  
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA  
Mild Nature  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Flash Cannon  
\- Iron Defense  
\- Dragon Tail

Saur (Venusaur) (F) Leftovers  
Ability: Overgrow  
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD  
Modest Nature  
\- Giga Drain  
\- Leech Seed  
\- Sludge Bomb  
\- Venoshock

Zard (Charizard) (M)  
Ability: Blaze  
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe  
Hasty Nature  
\- Acrobatics  
\- Thunder Punch  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Shadow Claw

Pika (Raichu) (M) Air Balloon  
Ability: Static  
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  
Hasty Nature  
\- Surf  
\- Thunderbolt  
\- Quick Attack  
\- Thunder Wave

Snor (Snorlax) (F) Leftovers  
Ability: Immunity  
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA  
Lonely Nature  
\- Rock Slide  
\- Earthquake  
\- Stockpile  
\- Giga Impact

Mewtwo-Mega-Y Mewtwonite Y  
Ability: Insomnia  
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Modest Nature  
\- Ice Beam  
\- Calm Mind  
\- Psystrike  
\- Aura Sphere

Red's Original Team:

(gen2ubers)

Blasty (Blastoise) (M) King's Rock  
Bashful Nature  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Ice Beam  
\- Reflect  
\- Earthquake

Saur (Venusaur) (F) Leftovers  
Bashful Nature  
\- Giga Drain  
\- Leech Seed  
\- Sleep Powder  
\- Toxic

Zard (Charizard) (M) Charcoal  
Bashful Nature  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Earthquake  
\- Rock Slide  
\- Double-Edge

Pika (Raichu) (M) BrightPowder  
Bashful Nature  
\- Thunderbolt  
\- Surf  
\- Quick Attack  
\- Thunder Wave

Snor (Snorlax) (F) Leftovers  
Shiny: Yes  
Bashful Nature  
\- Shadow Ball  
\- Double-Edge  
\- Earthquake  
\- Body Slam

Mewtwo TwistedSpoon  
Bashful Nature  
\- Psychic  
\- Ice Beam  
\- Hyper Beam  
\- Thunderbolt

Red's Team is one of my favorites, if not my most favorite. First of all, I love his Snorlax because it's huge, fluffy, and hella strong. I have beaten people with only him. They make the mistake of challenging his defense and in turn, give me the chance to get my stockpiles in. Then, not much can stop him from using Earthquake, and Rock Slide to take you down. When the type disadvantage is not helping or there's no move that's super effective, Giga Impact decimates most Pokémon anyways as a last resort. It's huge bulk lets him survive through its recharge period. On the other side of the spectrum is Mega Mewtwo Y, who's Special Attack is the highest of all Pokémon. He has great type coverage with Ice Beam and Aura Sphere (who live on MMY's ridiculous SpA) and Psyshock. You can even risk using Calm Mind when you think the opponent is going to switch or is buffing himself up. Mega Mewtwo Y is also pretty fast, which lets you cover his evidently lacking defense and hp. Again, Calm Mind can help you with this. Red's Venusaur is used to reflect a more defensive approach by giving her the Leftovers, Leech Seed and Giga Drain. Actually, Red copied this Venusaur from Leaf's, who thrived on that laid-back defensive playstyle. In addition, Sludge Bomb gives a good cover for Fairy-types while also doing a good deal of damage on its own. If you RNGesus blesses you and the opponent gets poisoned by it, you can then decimate them with Venoshock. Red's Charizard is the complete opposite of this: He's supposed to get in quickly and do a ton of damage, albeit doing it riskily. Acrobatics is Charizard's best flying-type move at 110 power and 100% accuracy, which is why he has no item. He then has Fire Blast as the obligatory fire-type destroyer and Thunder/Shadow Punch as type coverage. Red's Blastoise was modeled after Blue's Blastoise. He uses Iron Defense to make it even more of a tank than it already is and has Hydro Pump+Flash Cannon as the big damage-dealers as well as another Fairy-type cover. Dragon Tail is used when either against a dragon-type or when it's better to be against Pokémon that is weaker to Blastoise. Finally, Red's Raichu has its obligatory Surf and Thunderbolt but also has Quick Attack for a sure hit and Thunder Wave to make the enemy vulnerable. The good thing about Raichu (apart from its coolness and its electric prowess) is its speed. Raichu is fast enough to outspeed most other Pokémon, which lets him paralyze the opponent without much trouble.

Changes: Blastoise changed Reflect for Iron Defense for a more personal boost. He then switched Earthquake and Ice Beam for Flash Cannon and Dragon Tail for another Fairy counter and a tool for when Blastoise gets switched on, which happens often. Charizard switched Double-Edge for Acrobatics so he has a flying-type cover and a move that doesn't harm him in the process. He then switched Earthquake and Rock Slide for Shadow Claw and Thunder Punch because those covered the types Charizard most often encountered. Red initially copied Leaf's Venusaur, but later changed the moves to better reflect his more offensive approach. Raichu only ever switched his Bright Powder for and Air Balloon when it first appeared for a ground-type cover it desperately needed. This way, they can't one-shot him with Earthquake and he temporarily has no weaknesses. Snorlax changed his moveset when Shadow Ball became a Special Attack move and the rest of his moves changed when better alternatives appeared. Giga Impact replaced Double-Edge because it does more damage but the damage depends on the opponent (who might try to challenge Snorlax's defense) and Rock Slide replaced Body Slam for more type-coverage. Mewtwo's Psychic changed for Psyshock, which is objectively better in every way. Then it forgot Thunder Bolt in favor of Aura Sphere, which used Mega Mewtwo Y's Special Attack stat and covered for that type. Then, Hyper Beam became Calm Mind for a further boost because Hyper Beam put Mewtwo at risk (low def+low hp). Out of all his Pokémon, Red's Mewtwo benefitted the most out of Mega-Evolution because of the ridiculous SpA.

Nicknames: Red's Venusaur was named after Leaf's Venusaur (In real life, it was named after the one Red has in the Adventures manga). Red nicknamed his starter, Charizard, by shortening it, just like all his other nicknames (I made this one up, but it fits. I just wanted Charizard to be Red's starter and Blue is the only one that didn't name his starter). Red's Snor was nicknamed in the same fashion (Snor was the Snorlax Red caught on Route 12). Pika's nickname stayed the same even when it evolved into Riachu. Probably because it's the Pokémon closest to him and when he sees his original Pikachu, he's reminded of the little kid he once was. The nickname Pika reminds him that it's the same Pikachu he had when he was a little boy (Again, the name comes from the Adventures manga. It still makes sense though). Because Red's Blastoise was bred and modeled after Blue's Blastoise, he kept the same nickname (Leaf/Green's Blastoise in the manga). Mewtwo is the only one without a nickname, Mewtwo never shared any special bond with Red apart from the desire to win. Actually, Red and his Mewtwo share a lot in common, but don't like each other that much. They see each other as equals and respect each other, but they're never friends.

 **Writing Tidbits:** Let's get this out of the way: The Red you see muttering around HOPL is not the real Red. It is a facade. It's a mask he uses to make himself untouchable. When he first started his Pokémon journey, he was exactly like the one in the Adventures manga: cheerful, adventurous and impulsive. However, he was also extremely competitive. This started with Blue, who made it his mission to be always be his rival. Red would always go out of his way to be the very best, like no one ever was. He still wanted to have fun with his cute Pokémon friends, though, and this didn't always agree with his competitive nature. The moment it all changed though was around the middle of his journey. The first impact was meeting Blue at Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. The fact that Pokémon could actually die shattered his innocent young mind. Suddenly every battle was a lot more real. Red had never had consequences this hard. He began to struggle in battles. His optimism, his high spirit, the fire that burned in him during battle. It was all gone. Leaf wasn't even there to console him, as she was in Celadon City at the time. They were supposed to meet in Saffron, but Red just went straight to Vermilion City on his own. This was the final nail in the coffin. He challenged Lt. Surge and lost. Lt. Surge laughed in his face and said something about his father, who he had met during the war. This. This is the exact moment he snapped. The kid was on the verge of tears before Lt. Surge said those words. Afterwards, he looked up at him with his cold red eyes that now burned in anger. He did not say a word, only adjusted his cap and walked out of the gym. He released all of his Pokémon except for Zard and Pika and built a better team. Before the sunset, Red came back to Lt. Surge's gym and challenged him once again. This time he did so without saying a word. He simply walked in and released his Raichu in front of him. The rest was history. He now keeps this cold exterior to protect his real self. Removing this might make him more predictable in a battle, which is why he doesn't even talk during battles. Any movement might convey an emotion, which might convey an intent, which might lead to his next move. The only times he ever lets himself go is with Blue, Leaf and to a lesser extent, Gold and Krystal. Also his mom. So never call him cold or emotionless, that just means he's ready to fight you.

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WOOO! I did not expect to have this much fun writing this! I mean, it took more time and effort than I thought it would, but WOW! I love this now! This is happening! The Legend Files is a thing!


	2. Chapter 2: LeafGreen

Welcome back! This time around I'll be doing Leaf's team and if you didn't notice already, I'll be doing the Legends from oldest to newest, that way when I get to Calem and Serena there will probably be an actual change thanks to Sun and Moon. I really enjoyed writing last chapter, so I'm going to dive right in.

Daily Reminder: Due to Fanfiction's formatting system, the at sign before the item disappears, so if you're going to use it for Pokémon Showdown, remember to include it before every item.

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Chapter 2: LeafGreen

 **Red's Notes:** Leaf Green. It's a bit weird for me to comment on my own wife, but she's part of HOPL, so she's part of my notes. I'll be honest here: We haven't battled in a long time, so my memory of fighting her might be a little bit blurry. Actually, now that I think about it, our last battle was at our wedding, so I can't blame myself. Apart from that, Leaf never really gets into any fights, so no one ever challenges her apart from the usual tournaments. Even then, she uses a similar technique to mine when battling, making it hard to read her. She only talks before and after the battle and only ever lets some smiles through her mask. She's number 3 in the world, under Gold and me but over Krystal and Blue. In my opinion (which honestly might be a little bit biased), Leaf could surpass Gold and be at my level if she focused more on battling. She's like me, only she didn't train in Mt. Silver and she doesn't take her battles as seriously. Honestly, if I ever lose it's going to be the end of the world for me, but if she loses, she'll just smile and try again. She's naturally awesome, but she doesn't make it her living and instead treats battling as a hobby, which eventually damages her battling skill when compared to me. Now, I'm glad I'm the only one that reads these notes, because I'm going to let out a secret I've never admitted and will probably never admit in my lifetime: I've never actually beaten Leaf. During our original Kanto journey, Leaf would always beat me whenever I challenged her, and she would always shrug it off, saying I just needed to practice more. After Lt. Surge though, I never challenged her. Even after my battle with Gold at Mt. Silver, the only time we fought was at our wedding, and even though I can't remember the outcome (go easy on me, it was the best day of my life and wine seemed like a good idea) I distinctly remember we fought using our original teams with the original generation 2 rules. No Mega-evolutions, no new gimmicks, only us and our old friends. Honestly, the only reason she's at #3 is because she never wanted to be #1. She never once challenged Gold and only accepted the tournament battles. When it comes to battling, the only thing I can remember is that she loves to play defensively. Her Venusaur specifically left a mark on me, which is why I later modeled my Venusaur after hers (mine was bred from hers as well). Apart from that, the rest of her playstyle is shrouded in mystery. I'll never know why she does what she does, but I just know that it'll always work.

 **Legendary Teams:** Leaf's Team!

Leaf's Modern Team:

(anythinggoes)

Saur (Venusaur-Mega) (F) Venusaurite  
Ability: Thick Fat  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA  
Bold Nature  
\- Giga Drain  
\- Leech Seed  
\- Sleep Powder  
\- Sludge Bomb

Clefy (Clefairy) (F) Eviolite  
Ability: Magic Guard  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA  
Bold Nature  
\- Moonblast  
\- Calm Mind  
\- Soft-Boiled  
\- Thunder Wave

Lapras (F) Assault Vest  
Ability: Water Absorb  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD  
Modest Nature  
\- Ice Beam  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Freeze-Dry  
\- Signal Beam

Dragonite (F) Lum Berry  
Ability: Multiscale  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD  
Adamant Nature  
\- Outrage  
\- Superpower  
\- Thunder Punch  
\- Extreme Speed

Nido (Nidoqueen) Assault Vest  
Ability: Poison Point  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpA  
Naughty Nature  
\- Earthquake  
\- Giga Impact  
\- Toxic Spikes  
\- Hone Claws

Mewtwo Life Orb  
Ability: Unnerve  
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
\- Aura Sphere  
\- Psystrike  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Shadow Ball

Leaf's Original Team:

(gen2ubers)

Saur (Venusaur) (F) Leftovers  
Bashful Nature  
\- Giga Drain  
\- Leech Seed  
\- Sleep Powder  
\- Toxic

Clefy (Clefable) (F) BrightPowder  
Bashful Nature  
\- Belly Drum  
\- Moonlight  
\- Return  
\- Shadow Ball

Dragonite (F) Dragon Scale  
Bashful Nature  
\- Ice Beam  
\- Outrage  
\- Double-Edge  
\- Body Slam

Lapras (F) Never-Melt Ice  
\- Ice Beam  
\- Thunderbolt  
\- Confuse Ray  
\- Surf

Nido (Nidoqueen) King's Rock  
\- Earthquake  
\- Lovely Kiss  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Double-Edge

Mew TwistedSpoon  
Bashful Nature  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Ice Beam  
\- Soft-Boiled  
\- Psychic

Leaf's Team is one of the ones I had more trouble with because her plasytyle really clashes against mine. I know she prefers status changers/stat boosters and defensive play, but I don't know how to play that way. Like Red, I might use Stockpile a ton or take advantage of Calm Mind, but I'll most often go for the straight attack instead of weakening the opponent slowly. The one thing I always wanted to do with Leaf is what I tried to do with Red's Venusaur. What happened then was Venusaur beat the opponent with a type disadvantage, showing exactly how Leech Seed, Giga Drain and Poisoning while slowly change the tide of battle, ignoring traditional type covering. The fact that Venusaur could beat a fire-type without losing any damage displays exactly the type of domination Red and Leaf have over others. However, because I don't know how to play that way, it turned out a bit messier than I had intended. The most evident display of this is her Clefairy. I know she's competitively viable with eviolite and all, but I just can't comprehend how I'm supposed to use her. I actually think it's fortunate that I didn't get to show her battling before learning more about actual competitive battling. She wouldn't have turned out the way she should have.

Changes: Her whole team is built around keeping her old friends from her original journey but still being able to battle correctly. A good example is the cute Clefairy, who isn't normally the best Pokémon around. Then there's her starter, a big cuddly dragon, a water unicorn and a smiling blue rhinoceros monster of doom. Even Mew was one of Leaf's original best friends and turned into a decent powerhouse. What's cool is because Leaf was the first one to catch a Mew and form a strong bond with it, she's able to harness its power. For example, Mew transforms into Mewtwo when in a modern battle and granted her wish of Clefable devolving into Clefairy once eviolite was a thing. When it comes to changes, her team didn't change much. One of the first changes was Venusaur's Toxic turning to Sludge Bomb when Fairy-type had a clear weakness for it. However she did not change Sleep Powder for Venoshock like Red did because she still preferred the more laid-back style Sleep Powder used. Clefairy's Belly Drum also became Moonblast once Fairy-type became a thing. Lapras was one of the few who changed its moveset to become more offensive-based to cover more types. Nidoqueen then changed her moves to become a big heavy-hitter like Red's Snorlax while still being good on status-changers because Nidoqueen can no longer learn Lovely Kiss. Dragonite was always the big damage-dealer, but it is now faster thanks to Extreme Speed and covers more types thanks to Thunder Punch and Superpower while still hitting hard with Outrage. Mew becoming Mewtwo for the battle makes it more of a Special Attack powerhouse temporarily.

Nicknames: Leaf rarely ever changed her Pokémon. Because of this, she stuck with a couple of seemingly weak Pokémon that grew a strong connection with her. Saur, Clefy and Nido all have nicknames that work for every evolution stage they're in (They're all from the Adventures Manga). There's nothing really to explain (No other Pokémon have a counterpart with a nickname).

 **Writing Tidbits:** Leaf is one of those characters I love but I can't really connect as easily with. I love the fact that she's both kind of a female Red (or better) and a mother figure to the entire HOPL. That would make Red the father, which makes him not a very good dad. I think what I like a lot about her is her ability to do amazing stuff but never take the credit for it. Leaf did the same as Red, but caught Mew instead of Mewtwo, who is clearly a lot easier to catch. She then had to deal with Red and Blue both leaving Kanto (Blue going to other regions, Red staying in Mt. Silver) and keeping the Kanto League steady. Most HOPL activities are Leaf's idea and she's also the only person able to keep Red under control. Basically, she's like a better version of Red that isn't obsessed with being the best and doesn't act like a jackass around others.

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Well that's done. I'm having a lot of fun with this thing and I may or may not extend it to the rivals, or at least the one rival I did the team for. So, next chapter will be either Blue or Gold, depending on if I want to extend this to the rivals or not. Anyways, see you next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: WaterBlue

Welcome back to the Legend Files! I decided to go ahead and include Blue, since I already had his team prepared (even though he never appeared in HOPL, I just did it for fun after doing Red and Leaf's)

Daily Reminder: Due to Fanfiction's formatting system, the at sign before the item disappears, so if you're going to use it for Pokémon Showdown, remember to include it before every item.

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Chapter 3: WaterBlue

 **Red's Notes:** Blue Oak isn't part of HOPL, I'll do his anyways just for fun. First of all, since we were little kids, Blue was always a jackass. He always boasted about how his grandpa was Professor Oak and and how he'd be the one to become the greatest Pokémon trainer in history. As kids in Pallet Town we'd constantly bicker and fight, Leaf was always there to make things right. We used to hate each other. However, our Pokémon journey made a mark on both of us. The fact that I kept beating him was slowly humbling him already, but his Raticate's death was the one that gave the final push. He finally realized his actions had consequences, and that affected how went along with the rest of the journey. I think the moment our silly hate rivalry changed to a friendly one was after the Champion's Chamber at the end of the Kanto League. It was there that you could finally see the new Blue, the one that sought to teach younger trainers instead of insulting them. The one that continued his journey not for himself, but for Prof. Oak and the others around him. This new humble Blue is the closest thing to a Legend the outside world has. He occasionally visits the House for a quick update, but never stays for more than week. Right now he's probably the new Champion or Gym Leader of some League. Now, about his team. His team is pretty good, considering he still uses his Pidgeot and his Rhydon. Apart from those two he has some pretty powerful Pokémon, but his Mega Blastoise is the scariest one of all. It's like mine, only its Mega-evolved and it has even more power. Because of its Mega Launcher ability, Dragon Pulse becomes a move with ~127.5 and 100% accuracy, which is terrifying for a dragon-type move. It then has Flash Cannon (for Fairies), Hydro Pump (obligatory) and Hyper Beam, which are all boosted by a 405 Sp. Attack stat. For a little perspective, my Mega Mewtwo Y has 535 SpA, and that's the max. Mega Blastoise is ranked #38 in Pokémon with the highest Special Attack and Blue's Blasty has Hyper Beam. It's even scarier because Blastoise is still incredibly bulky. The only reason I gave Snorlax Giga Impact and I didn't give Mega Mewtwo Y Hyper Beam is because Snorlax has enough defense to last through its rest period. Mega Mewtwo Y does not. Blastoise is no Snorlax, but it does have decent HP, Defense and Special Defense. Even my Venusaur has trouble bringing it down. The only reason it can is because its 6 points faster. Basically, his Blasty is the team's biggest threat. Then there's Arcanine, which reminds me of my Charizard, only more Attack-based and more reckless. Its combination of Extreme Speed, Close Combat and Flare Blitz calls for a more defensive wall, but Snorlax is weak to its Close Combat. Then there's my Blastoise, but Arcanine is faster. The only one in my team to completely dominate it is Mega Mewtwo Y, but that's only because of its ridiculous SpA and slightly better speed. Executor is one of the stranger picks (which is why I traded it) but he makes it work. It works as a good Psychic user and a decent grass-type. I think the only reason he hasn't traded it for an alolan one is because he grew fond of it. I can relate. I loved Alolan Raichu but I will never in my life abandon Pika. Anyways, Blue seems to have copied his Pidgeot strategy from wild Pidgeys, using Mud-slap as a better alternative for Sand Attack. Nothing much to say, as wild Pidgeys are more annoying than challenging. Gengar. Gengar...creeps me out. It always did, ever since I first saw it in the Silph Co. building. It had replaced his Kadabra and got released last in our battle there. See, Blue doesn't usually nickname his Pokémon. The only one he nicknamed was Blasty, and that's only because it was his starter. So you could understand how terrified I was when he nicknamed his Gengar "Raticate". Specially since that was the first battle after Pokémon Tower. I never asked wether that was really its ghost or it was just a tactic to throw me off (which worked) so I never got an answer. Honestly, I don't want to know. It makes it easier when I have to battle it again. His last Pokémon is Rhydon, which fills the role of a bulky attacker pretty well. Overall, he's what I would be if I wasn't a Legend. He has a very good team, but doesn't have what it takes to be a Legend. It makes sense, since he's the best non-Legend trainer in the world.

 **Rival Team:** Blue's Team!

Blue's Modern Team:

(anythinggoes)

Blasty (Blastoise-Mega) (M) Blastoisinite  
Ability: Torrent  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD  
Modest Nature  
\- Dragon Pulse  
\- Flash Cannon  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Hyper Beam

Arcanine (M) Assault Vest  
Ability: Justified  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpA  
Lonely Nature  
\- Close Combat  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Extreme Speed  
\- Flare Blitz

Exeggutor (M) Sitrus Berry  
Ability: Harvest  
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe  
Rash Nature  
\- Energy Ball  
\- Leaf Storm  
\- Psychic  
\- Wood Hammer

Pidgeot (F) Lum Berry  
Ability: Big Pecks  
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Jolly Nature  
\- Brave Bird  
\- Roost  
\- Mud-Slap  
\- Quick Attack

Gengar (M) Life Orb  
Ability: Levitate  
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
\- Dazzling Gleam  
\- Shadow Ball  
\- Sludge Bomb  
\- Foul Play

Rhydon (F) Leftovers  
Ability: Reckless  
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD  
Adamant Nature  
\- Double-Edge  
\- Megahorn  
\- Outrage  
\- Earthquake

Blue's Original Team:

(gen2ubers)

Blasty (Blastoise) (M) King's Rock  
\- Blizzard  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Earthquake  
\- Rapid Spin

Arcanine (M) Charcoal  
\- Take Down  
\- Extreme Speed  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Return

Exeggutor (M) Polkadot Bow  
\- Psychic  
\- Explosion  
\- Sleep Powder  
\- Egg Bomb

Pidgeot (F) BrightPowder  
\- Quick Attack  
\- Return  
\- Mirror Move  
\- Sand Attack

Raticate (Gengar) (M) Spell Tag  
Shiny: Yes  
\- Thunderbolt  
\- Explosion  
\- Destiny Bond  
\- Shadow Ball

Rhydon (F) Hard Stone  
\- Double-Edge  
\- Earthquake  
\- Rock Slide  
\- Roar

Because I didn't have planned for Blue to visit the House, I didn't really have a reason to make Blue's team. I really only did it because I had just finished touching up Red's team as well as making Leaf's team again (it had been erased) and I just had the urge to make another Kanto team. I didn't really have to look for Blue's personality and choice in Pokémon because he already has canon teams so instead I'll focus on the...

Changes: It was actually pretty easy and fun to make Blue's team because I had five different references for his team: RBY, GSC, FRLG, HGSS and B2/W2. I did take some liberties because I still had to keep his team full of Kanto Pokémon (the Johto games had him with a Tyranitar) and I wanted to make his team good. For example, having both an Exeggutor and an Alakazam isn't very good balance-wise, so i had to replace it with another Kanto Pokémon. A couple of my favorite Kanto Pokémon (that Blue could use) are Nidoking, Raichu, Gengar, Lapras, Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Sandslash, Machamp, Dragonite and Ditto. Here's why Gengar was the choice and not others:  
-Nidoking: Rhydon already fills that role and is actually canon, since he has it in RBY and FRLG.  
-Raichu: Red has one already. I don't want the Kanto trainers to have the same Pokémon. Plus, it'd be weird.  
-Lapras: Blastoise is his water-type. I don't want the types to overlap, which is why I changed Alakazam in the first place.  
-Clefairy and Jigglypuff: Doesn't really fit Blue's personality.  
-Sandslash: Like the previous two, it doesn't fit Blue's MO of big burly Pokémon. Plus, Rhydon already fills the Ground-type role.  
-Machamp: One of the actual contenders. I eventually chose Gengar instead because Blue already has a ton of physical attackers and Gengar is a special attacker, which brings more variety to his team.  
-Dragonite: The same as Machamp.  
-Ditto: Like Sandslash and the Fairies, it doesn't fit Blue's MO. Ditto is more gimmicky than big and powerful.  
-Gengar: It's Ghost/Poison, which like Machamp and Dragonite brings more variety (in types) to his team. The difference between Gengar and those two is that Gengar is special attacker, which brings even more diversity in a team full of big burly Pokémon.  
The other thing I did with his team is change the moves. He had some pretty wacky and weird choices for moves back then. Plus, in some iterations some of his Pokémon only had three moves. Nothing too special, just the basic attacking sets for each Pokémon. I did try to keep one canon move in each Pokémon though. The only exceptions I made were Blastoise and Exeggutor, which have Rapid Spin and Sleep Powder. Those two I chose because they really help for each Pokémon. You'll find that if there's an Exeggutor somewhere, it probably has Sleep Powder. The same thing goes for Blastoise and Rapid Spin.

Nicknames: As explained earlier by Red, the only two Pokémon in his team to have nicknames are his Blastoise and his Gengar. Because it was his starter, Blastoise was practically obligated to have a nickname (Green/Leaf's Blastoise in the manga). I originally wasn't going to give Blue's Gengar a nickname for even more effect, but then nobody has any way of knowing that it may or may not be the ghost of Blue's Raticate, back to kick more butt at Blue's side.

 **Writing Tidbits:** I don't have much to write here because I've never actually written his character before. The only things are a few references here and there by Red and Leaf. I'll admit, I've been trying to avoid meeting him anywhere until his own Guest chapter. I do plan to have him visit the House for a single chapter, but I don't want him to have a weird cameo here or there that might lessen the impact of having the Kanto guys meet. For example, I wrote that Blue was away during HOPL's PKGO trip to Kanto to avoid meeting him. If I had written that he was still there, it would have made for a small anti-climactic meeting. Like "Hey Blue! Nice to see you! Let's have a dinky Pokémon GO battle and then leave!" It's not as great as having him suddenly appear in the House and have a classic Rival battle. The problem with this mythical Guest chapter is that it brings even more attention to the Kanto games/region. It's become apparent to me that in a House of Pokémon Legends from six different regions, I've been giving a lot of the spotlight to Johto and Kanto. It's not to say the others don't have their moments, but they don't have any big arcs like the Krystal arc (Johto) or have as much explaining to do (Kanto). There's also the fact that i've never played the Sinnoh games and it's hard for me to do so now, but that's another story. I could go on and on about what really happened during Red's adventures (the original games give a LOT of blanks to fill in) or write about Krystal's mishaps in Johto+the legendaries, but there's not as much immediate material for the other regions. I could probably find something good to write about if I looked hard enough, but the Kanto and Johto have a lot more stuff on the surface. Plus, I really like the characters from those two regions. The other contenders are the Unova characters, because they're the characters from my favorite (or rather first) generation. Not the ones from the Hoenn region because honestly, there's not much to talk about. The Hoenn games were very flat with their story. Everything is really clearly stated and doesn't leave much room for exploration. I like the games, but once you're done with them there's really not much to fuss over save for the Legendaries and their lore. With Unova there's that space between B/W and B2/W2 that isn't fully explained. There's a lot about N and Team Plasma that isn't really explained. There's a lot about Black and Hilda's character that can still be explored. * _Realizes I'm no longer talking about Blue_ * What I mean to say is it's going to be a while before Blue has his Guest chapter.

* * *

Phew, I kind of went off-topic there for a moment. The point is that Blue's chapter is done and I like it. See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4: Heart Gold

We're back! I don't have that much time, but I finished my writing quota for HOPL and PL for now and I've been really looking forward to talking about Gold.

Daily Reminder: Due to Fanfiction's formatting system, the at sign before the item disappears, so if you're going to use it for Pokémon Showdown, remember to include it before every item.

* * *

Chapter 4: HeartGold

 **Red's Notes:** Ethan Gold. The second-best Pokémon trainer in the world, and probably the most likeable. It's pretty ironic that I was the one that got a big show and all the attention while Gold would do so much better than me in the spotlight. I'm a guy from Pallet Town, so I've never felt comfortable being in the center of everyone's attention. It's one of the reasons I created HOPL in the first place, so I wouldn't have to face all those people pointing at me and treating me like a celebrity. Sure, I'm number 1 in battling, but outside of battle, I'm just a guy from Pallet Town. Gold, on the other hand, would bathe in the spotlight. He'd be a rockstar. No need for an actor to play his role in a show like mine, he'd play it himself. No need to run away from reporters, he'd go to them and tell stories of Shiny Gyarados and dangerous criminal organizations. Leaf and I were interviewed once on TV. It was Leaf's idea to accept. She thought it would help me break out of my shell, but I never spoke a word. I hid behind my cap like a Swadloon in its cocoon. Of course, I was lucky. Viewers took it for mysterious silence and not crippling shyness. Leaf helped and talked for me. We never did it again. Guess what Gold would do. He'd revel in all the attention and talk more than the interviewer. Gold is that kind of guy. It's not like he doesn't deserve it, either. The guy finished the rests of Team Rocket in Johto, beat that Pokémon League and then went straight to Kanto. For most others there's a resting pause, a time after your initial adventure where you do whatever you want. Gold skipped that and went straight to Kanto instead because unlike other regions, Johto is so close to Kanto you can just walk there.

Gold then did that league and started looking for me. No stopping for Legendaries (not in Kanto not Johto). My mother would later tell me that he visited Pallet Town to find me. She offered him cookies and they sat down for a talk all about me. Meanwhile, I had recently finished my training at Mt. Silver and was figuring out what to do next. I knew I wanted to leave, but I didn't know where to nor what to say to others. I was staring at the sky at the summit when Gold finally got to the top. I had been thinking to go fly to Pallet, talk to Leaf and see where that got me. Then a trainer about two years younger than me appeared behind me, his right hand gripping a pokéball and his left clutching his bag.

There were no words when we first met. I simply turned around and started the battle before he could say anything. At first I didn't know who this trainer was. A random trainer from Johto that got to Mt. Silver's summit is weird. So I didn't go all out at first. I used Pikachu and he used Earthquake. That already told me he was better than all the gyms leaders and Elites. As we continued our battle, we learned more and more about each other. We were at two Pokémon each when I realized exactly who he was. Someone like me. Better than me. Younger, more ambitious. His eyes burned with the same passion mine did a long time ago. The only difference is he still strives to become the best. I stopped trying after my training. He still prioritized his friends over becoming stronger. I was too late. I had already his myself in a mountain and spent all that time alone. The thought of returning to see my mother and Leaf was incredibly enticing, but I had already dedicated myself to my Pokémon. I dreamed of having Leaf at my side while Gold had spent his whole life with Krystal. Then there he was, standing on the same snow I was standing on, shouting commands at this team while I quietly commanded mine. I could have won. I could have given Pikachu an Air Balloon or Light Ball. I could have Stockpiled with my Snorlax. I could have used Mewtwo instead of Espeon. But I looked into Gold's eyes and knew that if I did, he'd go down the same path I did. I did not want to see another Red. I did not want to see an innocent boy from New Bark Town waste his life looking for something that's not really there. So I let him win. Not easily, mind you, I had to make him think he earned it. Besides, anyone would feel proud even if they lost. Gold was more of a challenge to me than anyone else I had ever encountered, and he never trained at Mt. Silver. When he won he was ecstatic. I could tell this was the first time he won a match against someone and didn't act smug about it. He shook my hand and told me all about what had happened after I left. From Johto to Kanto, he said it all. I smiled, put a hand on his shoulder, said he was a good trainer, and left on my Charizard.

After a while of revisiting old friends, I noticed Gold was being mentioned more and more. Slowly but surely, he was becoming as famous as I was. Leaf and I realized it soon enough to warn Gold and Krystal about it. He got a comic book adaptation and a show like mine, but his show never made it past the pilot. Anyways, the Johto Legends' rise to fame abruptly ended that fateful night in the Unovian hotel. After we made the House of Pokémon Legends a thing, the world seemed to forget all about us. No more mentions in the news or Kanto on TV. No more little kids saying they want to grow up to become like us. We were officially Legends. Then, about a few months before finding the Hoenn Legends, Krystal disappeared. Gold suddenly was not as cheerful. He no longer cracked jokes at every opportunity. In fact, he and I inadvertently switched places for a moment. He stayed quietly brooding while I tried to keep things fun with Leaf. About a month before Hoenn all the members had a talk. We couldn't invite Ruby and May if Gold was killing the mood. We had a long discussion, but he eventually nodded and agreed to get over Krystal not only for HOPL, but for himself. It wasn't immediate, but he did learn to be himself again. Not exactly himself, but similar enough. He had learned. He had succeeded. He had grown. He was no longer a novice, he was an adult.

Anyways, I'm getting a bit off-topic here. I'm here to describe, not tell stories.

Gold is probably my favorite male trainer in HOPL. He reminds me of myself in so many ways, yet shows me I could have done much better. In some ways, I'm jealous of him. How he always knows what to say. How he can liven up any conversation. How his youthful charm was never lost. How he put his priorities straight. He'd probably be number 1 if he focused more on battling, but he'll never do that. He enjoys it and finds it thrilling, but he won't dedicate his life to it. He demonstrated that when he left Mt. Silver halfway through our training. He's all about fun. Battling for him is fun, so he'll do that a lot. However, he won't go down my path because he doesn't find it fun. He prefers to be the heart of HOPL instead. That's a nice analogy. Leaf and I are the brain and Gold and Krystal are the heart. Just as important, yet different. I don't blame him at all for his choice. In fact, I'm glad. Despite our occasional disputes (usually about Lyra, but I'll get to her later), we've always been best friends.

Nothing will ever change that.

 **Legendary Teams:** Gold's Team!

Gold's Modern Team:

(anythinggoes)

Exbo (Typhlosion) (M) Black Glasses  
Ability: Flash Fire  
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe  
Hasty Nature  
\- Eruption  
\- Thunder Punch  
\- Earthquake  
\- Quick Attack

Umbreon (F) Black Glasses  
Ability: Synchronize  
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD  
Gentle Nature  
\- Shadow Ball  
\- Pursuit  
\- Attract  
\- Confuse Ray

Lugia Black Glasses  
Ability: Multiscale  
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD  
Modest Nature  
\- Aeroblast  
\- Dragon Pulse  
\- Psychic  
\- Ice Beam

Lanturn (F) Black Glasses  
Ability: Volt Absorb  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD  
Modest Nature  
\- Thunderbolt  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Dazzling Gleam  
\- Heal Bell

Steelix-Mega (M) Steelixite  
Ability: Sand Force  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpA  
Naughty Nature  
\- Earthquake  
\- Explosion  
\- Heavy Slam  
\- Stone Edge

Heracross (M) Black Glasses  
Ability: Moxie  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD  
Adamant Nature  
\- Megahorn  
\- Close Combat  
\- Shadow Claw  
\- Double-Edge

Gold's Original Team:

(gen2ubers)

Exbo (Typhlosion) (M) Black Glasses  
Bashful Nature  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Thunder Punch  
\- Earthquake  
\- Quick Attack

Umbreon (F) Black Glasses  
Bashful Nature  
\- Shadow Ball  
\- Pursuit  
\- Attract  
\- Confuse Ray

Lugia Black Glasses  
Bashful Nature  
\- Aeroblast  
\- Psychic  
\- Whirlwind  
\- Ice Beam

Gyarados (M) Black Glasses  
Shiny: Yes  
Bashful Nature  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Double-Edge  
\- Thunderbolt  
\- Fire Blast

Steelix (M) Black Glasses  
Bashful Nature  
\- Earthquake  
\- Explosion  
\- Double-Edge  
\- Rock Slide

Heracross (F) Black Glasses  
Bashful Nature  
\- Megahorn  
\- Rest  
\- Sleep Talk  
\- Earthquake

Gold's Team was one of the easier ones to do because his battling style is so similar to mine. It's kind of like the opposite of Leaf's. He's more offensive than Red but still has certain non-attacking moves here and there so his team is balanced. Obviously, the first choice was Typhlosion as his starter. I mean, could you imagine Gold without a Typhlosion? Or Silver without a Feraligatr? Their starters fit their personalities so well if you do it that way. The legendary could have been Ho-oh, but he already has a Typhlosion and I couldn't take that away for his team to be more balanced. So I chose Lugia instead. I then decided Gold needed to have one of the eeveelutions, as they were kind of a staple of Johto. I chose Umberon because then it can contrast his Lugia and bring more balance to the team. Now there was the great dilemma. I _really_ wanted Gold to have his signature shiny Gyarados, but Gyarados is half Flying-type and Lugia already has that covered. I then looked to Lanturn, who is one of my favorite Water-type Pokémon and one of my favorite Pokémon from Johto. Plus, it's Water/Electric. So I gave Gold Lanturn instead of red Gyarados. Steelix was chosen because Gold needed a strong Ground-type and a Steelix is a staple evolution of Johto. The last Pokémon in his team is Heracross, who is there simply because he's Bug/Fighting and he's awesome. I realized both Heracross and Steelix could Mega-evolve, but I decided Steelix should have it to benefit from Sand Force. Besides, Heracross can hold his own without a Mega-evolution. Also, as you may notice, all his Pokémon (except for Mega Steelix) have Black Glasses. This is a completely intentional choice made by Gold.

Changes: _[One of the first changes I made was give him his shiny Gyarados. His old team wasn't finished, so it's not too bad if it has two Pokémon that share a type. Plus, you can't resist that gameboy color sprite.]_ Let's start with Exbo. He changed Fire Blast to Eruption because it's simply better. Umbreon was kept the same. Lugia changed its Whirlwind to Dragon Pulse because Gold is showy and wants to take advantage of Lugia's high SpA. Gyarados, as explained earlier, was replaced by Lanturn for balance. Steelix got the ability to Mega-evolve and switched Double-Edge for Body Slam so it can have a Steel-type move. Gold wouldn't have done this if it wasn't for Fairy-types. Rock Slide was replaced by Stone Edge because it's objectively better. Heracross' Earthquake was changed for Close Combat because Steelix already sues Earthquake and Heracross needs a good Fighting-type move. However, Steelix's Double-Edge was given to Heracross instead for more damage. Shadow Claw was used as a Ghost-type cover. These two replaced Rest and Sleep Talk for a more offensive approach.

Nicknames: The only nickname Gold had was given to Exbo, because it was his starter (only nickname in Adventures manga).

 **Writing Tidbits:** Gold is great. One of my favorite Legends, he's always the one that starts the party. He and Nate are pretty similar, actually, but Gold is old and wise enough to know where the limits are. He'll make fun of people, but never in a malicious manner. He'll pull pranks, but never as mean as Nate's. I like him because he's the embodiment of what a trainer should be. Light-hearted, cocky, fun. No dramatics (besides the Krystal arc) or hidden sides of him, he's just himself and he's not afraid to show it. He's the ultimate extrovert. Now that he's done with his own story, he can relax and have fun with the newbies, teach them what he knows. Something else about Gold is that I always see him as "the" hero. Red and Leaf might be better at battling and have more experience/done the most in their lives, but Gold just has that attitude that makes you root for him. That aura that tells you he's done nothing bad and he's the main character. He really should be the main character in HOPL, but I've been focusing on Red so I can get that out of the way. In fact, after the PokéGO arc, I don't want to revisit anything regarding Kanto again. Basically, Gold is one of my favorite characters and that's due to just how cool he is and how he contrasts Red so well. His battling style is similar to mine, too, so that made it super easy to make his team. In fact, the only time I've ever had trouble with writing him is his relationship with the other Johto characters. That's because Krystal is only ever present in Pokémon Crystal and the differences between rby/gsc/frlg/hgss always confused me. Anyways, Gold is one of my favorite characters to write and he needs no explanation.

* * *

In conclusion, I love Gold. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5: LiquidKrystal

Hey! I've got great timing because I wrote this after doing HOPL chap34 and I'll release it around same time, I think. It's a good time to talk about Krystal. Also, I won't be talking about Lyra because she doesn't have enough stuff to talk about and she's no longer considered a Legend. The rivals are an exception because they're all almost as good as a Legend. Lyra is not.

Here we go!

Daily Reminder: Due to Fanfiction's formatting system, the at sign before the item disappears, so if you're going to use it for Pokémon Showdown, remember to include it before every item.

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Chapter 6: LiquidKrystal

 **Red's Notes: ** Marina Krystal. She has a story to tell. In fact, she _is_ a story to tell. A true Legend. We were friends with her and Gold for a while before HOPL, so we know each other very well. Despite her absence, I can say I know Krystal more than I know Ruby, for example.  
Krystal wasn't there when Gold went up to Mt. Silver. She was looking for Mewtwo at the time. When I first met her, I was with Leaf at Saffron City. It was a while after my first encounter with Gold, when I was back out into the world and Leaf and I were back together. I had previously received a call from Gold telling us to meet there. As I later learned, Gold had gone straight to Krystal after Mt. Silver to tell her about me. Predictably, she exploded and asked him yo call me.  
So there we were, smack-dab in the middle of Saffron with our bags slung over our shoulders and our faces covered by our hats. We weren't as well-known back then, but we still hid ourselves as much as possible. In Kanto's biggest city, it was no surprise when people turned their heads as they walked around. We were still hiding when their heads suddenly turned away from us. We looked up to see Gold's colorful outfit and Krystal's ocean blue hair heading towards us. They both had huge grins on their faces as they ignored onlookers and sprinted to us.  
 _"Hi I'm Kris!"_  
I had met Gold before, but he was awestruck and silent when we met. Kris had no hesitation and no shyness. Like Gold if he had no shame and didn't care what people thought of him.  
 _"Uh, are you going to say anything, or?"_  
Now that I spend most of my time with 13 others it's not so bad, but back then I wasn't much for conversation. All that silent battling and all that solitary training in Mt. Silver had me out of practice.  
 _"Hey."_  
Genius.  
Krystal's frown was the sign for Leaf to intervene.  
 _"I'm Leaf and that's Red. Nice to meet you."_  
Handshakes were had and it was Gold's turn to move.  
 _"I'm Gold. It's been a while since we first met but we had stuff to deal with back in Johto so..."_  
Leaf nods and I look around at all of us.  
 _"What are we doing here?"_ I finally say.  
Gold and Krystal shrug.  
 _"We wanted to meet you and get to know each other. We're not_ that _different, after all."_  
I sigh and nod.  
 _"What do you want to know?"_  
The Johto trainers glance at each other.  
 _"Why were you in Mt. Silver?"_  
The TV show wasn't at the height of its popularity yet, so when people heard of the famous Kanto trainer, they thought of Red, the mysterious young champion. All that was known about me was rumors and legends, stories to be told. To these people, I was a myth, and they wanted to be friends with me.  
After a few awkward meetings, we eventually grew to know each other as best friends. We were in the same boat, as boat no one else could be in. If you see me in the House, you know that I keep myself most of the time and I mostly don't come out of my shell. Well, as it turns out, that _is_ me out of my shell. Compared to before meeting the Johto Legends, I'm a rock star. And I owe that to Krystal, the biggest extrovert I have ever seen. She also helped me grow comfortable around those like her. Otherwise, the House would be a hellhole for me.  
Krystal is very dear to me, which is why I (along with Gold and Leaf) was devastated upon hearing of her demise. The world had lost a great person.  
Then Lyra started coming in her place. I gave a her a chance at first. Thought she was just another childhood friend like Blue. However, after just a couple of days at the new HOPL with her I knew we weren't going to get along. She was my complete opposite. No love fro battling, optimist, extroverted, I had learned to avoid her. The Hoenn Legends were a saving grace for me, but I'll talk about those later.  
What really confused me was that Gold liked her. After all that with Kris you're content with _Lyra_? Gold was my best friend but his girlfriend was my nemesis. Do you know how that is? I hated it because it made me fight with Gold. Before Lyra, the only fights we had were Pokémon battles and deciding which restaurant to go to. Now I was attacking his lover and he was attacking me. In the end, we just attacked our friendship. The most heated we ever got was before Lyra's tournament battle with Serena. That was when I knew we had gone too far. Something had to change. Luckily, I didn't have to do anything because Krystal appeared at the doorbell. I don't want to think about what would have happened if she didn't.  
Anyways, when Krystal came back I was ecstatic, but I kept cool (which is super easy for me) so Gold could deal with it on his own. I know Gold. He needed it. If I had intervened things would have turned sour. I knew what was bound to happen, so I no longer quarrelled with Lyra or Gold. Even though I don't like her, I'll treat her like everyone else when she leaves. I'm mean, but I'm not _that_ mean.  
In the end, Krystal is as much my best friend as Gold and I owe her a lot.

 **Legendary Teams:** Krystal's Team!

Krystal's Modern Team:

(anythinggoes)

Ditto Rocky Helmet  
Ability: Imposter  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD  
Bold Nature  
\- Transform  
\- Transform  
\- Transform  
\- Transform

Suicune Wave Incense  
Ability: Water Absorb  
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpA  
Mild Nature  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Aurora Beam  
\- Extreme Speed  
\- Iron Head

Houndoom (M) Black Glasses  
Ability: Flash Fire  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD  
Modest Nature  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Nasty Plot  
\- Foul Play  
\- Overheat

Heracross-Mega (M) Heracronite  
Ability: Skill Link  
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD  
Adamant Nature  
\- Close Combat  
\- Pin Missile  
\- Rock Blast  
\- Knock Off

Gliscor (F) Toxic Orb  
Ability: Poison Heal  
EVs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe  
Adamant Nature  
\- Earthquake  
\- Knock Off  
\- Roost  
\- Facade

Celebi Life Orb  
Ability: Natural Cure  
Shiny: Yes  
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
\- Recover  
\- Energy Ball  
\- Dazzling Gleam  
\- Psychic

Krystal's Original Team:

(gen2ubers)

Ditty (Ditto) Leftovers  
Bashful Nature  
\- Transform  
\- Transform  
\- Transform  
\- Transform

Lanturn (F) Mystic Water  
Bashful Nature  
\- Thunderbolt  
\- Hydro Pump  
\- Confuse Ray  
\- Ice Beam

Houndoom (M) Black Glasses  
Bashful Nature  
\- Fire Blast  
\- Sludge Bomb  
\- Crunch  
\- Shadow Ball

Heracross (M) Black Belt  
Bashful Nature  
\- Megahorn  
\- Seismic Toss  
\- Toxic  
\- Earthquake

Gligar (F) Soft Sand  
Bashful Nature  
\- Earthquake  
\- Quick Attack  
\- Feint Attack  
\- Wing Attack

Megaree (Meganium) (F) Miracle Berry  
Bashful Nature  
\- Solar Beam  
\- Return  
\- Sunny Day  
\- Synthesis

Kris' team was pretty fun to do because her team isn't the same as before. I know the other Legend's teams also changed but those weren't as drastic as these changes. She lost her starter. This, I think, was the most heart-breaking for her. I also got to use more Johto Pokémon, which are always fun. Obviously, the starter goes first. Because Gold has a Typhlosion and Silver has a Feraligatr, Kris has a Meganium. Next I chose Heracross because I love that Pokémon and I think Krystal would too. Specially its Mega-evolution. Then I chose Gligar because I think Krystal would find it super cute and its evolution super cool. Plus, you can't beat that typing. Poison Heal+Toxic Orb+Facade really helped too. Houndoom was chosen because it's Dark/Fire (two type covers) and it also fits Kris' theme. Lanturn was chosen for the same reasons as Gligar. Using Ditto is Kris' version of Gold having all his Pokémon with Dark Glasses, as she still finds it hilarious. However, this is not the same Ditto she had before. After her imprisonment, she left with only Gliscor, Heracross Houndoom, Suicune and Celebi. The Ditto was replaced.

Changes: Kris' team probably has the most changes. First, Megaree was replaced by Celebi, who has better stats and is also part-Psychic. Mega Heracross was chosen instead of Mega Houndoom because it's objectively better in its stats, its ability and its moves. Heracross' moves were changed to better suit his Mega-evolution. For example, Seismic Toss changed to Close Combat, Megahorn changed to Pin Missile and Earthquake changed to Rock Blast. Knock-off was used as a surprise to deal with items as well. Gligar evolved during her captivity so it didn't need the same moves to work correctly in a team. Feint Attack was replaced by Knock Off as a better Dark-type cover. Quick Attack was replaced by Facade because Gliscor is already pretty fast and is Toxic Orb will make it stronger. Earthquake was kept the same because Earthquake and Wing Attack was changed for Roost so it can recover health. It's not worth having a mediocre Flying-type move over a move that recovers 50% of your health. Houndoom's Crunch changed for Foul Play, which is an objectively better Dark-type move despite using the Attack stat over the Special Attack stat. Kris decided to have Nasty Plot instead of Sludge Bomb because it improves on Houndoom's already high SpA. Next, Lanturn was lost and replaced by Suicune. Finally Krystal's ditto was lost and replaced by another one.

Nicknames: The only two Pokémon in her teams with a nickname are Megaree and Ditty. Megaree because it's her starter and Ditty because she finds it hilarious. (Both were taken from the Adventures manga)

 **Writing Tidbits:** I really like Krystal. From her looks alone I knew I'd like her a lot more than Lyra. Lyra was bland to me. I didn't see any personality traits in her. Krystal was cool. I mean, look at that hair. Plus, blue is my favorite color and her smirks told me she was just as arrogant and proud as Gold, if not more. However, I started with Lyra and taking _her_ out completely would suck. My dilemma was: 'I love Kris, but I don't want to treat Lyra like shit.'  
The idea to imprison her took some time. I had to find a reason she was replaced by Lyra in everything after the original gsc adventure. So I thought to use elements connected to her character. Those four were Suicune, Celebi, Lugia and Ho-oh. Which of those has the power to imprison her? Celebi and Ho-oh, thanks to his wishes. However, Celebi would never do that and Ho-oh was caught by Gold. I drew inspiration from the adventures manga, where she failed to catch Suicune multiple times and was confronted by Misty.  
So the idea cam to me that Krystal's wish was to steal Misty's Suicune, but that came at a price, since Ho-oh's wishes aren't without consequence. This consequence was decreed by Arceus, god of all Pokémon. Arceus' judgement was that she lose what she gained. To lose her friends but not affect them, Krystal was cut off from their world. She also lost hald of her team, including her starter. However, she also gained a new friend: Celebi.  
When she came back I had to stop talking about her and actually start writing her. This was suddenly an unforeseen obstacle, as I loved the concept of Kris, but I didn't really know what she was like. I based everything on her looks and her situation alone, which made her a bit OOC. It wasn't too bad, though. I think that by far my biggest problem was this love quadrilateral with Kris, Gold, Lyra and Silver. I had to write romance between them and I _hate_ writing romance. I suck Ultra balls at it. I think others love to do it and it flows out of them like action flows out of me, but I have never been able to write romance. I mean, most Pokémon fanfics on this site are romance. Honestly if I could just pull one author out of all those and tell them to write a segment I would. Actually, I think it was one of the the reasons I stopped writing HOPL. I wasn't writing what I liked to write about anymore. I wasn't having fun. It was suddenly a chore. Now that I'm back, I fell much better about her.  
She will always be an obstacle when writing, but I'll always love her.

P.S: The reason I write 'Krystal" and not 'Kris' or 'Crystal' is when I first wrote about her I took her name from the game (Kris) and assumed her full name was Krystal. Kind of like a mix between game and manga. I haven't changed since.

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As I said earlier, I will always love Krystal, even when she's the main source of writing obstacles in HOPL.

See you next time, and please review! It means the world to me!


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